Ball valves of the type described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,804 granted Oct. 24, 1967 to J. E. Piccardo have been very successful commercially. Such valves comprise a generally circular body band in which a valve ball with integral trunnions is contained. Rotatably mounted on the trunnions are bearing retainers with a central bore carrying a suitable rotary bushing, and the bearing retainers are secured in place by clamping the ends thereof between the end closures of the valve housing. Although this valve construction has been generally satisfactory, the clamping of the bearing retainers occasionally results in a "pinching" of the ball trunnions, causing excessive stem torque and a rapid wear of the trunnion bearings. This problem is alleviated somewhat by extremely accurate machining of the valve body, the two end closures and the two bearing retainers. However, in the larger size valves, particularly in the higher pressure classes, these components can be extremely heavy and cumbersome, and difficult to handle for precision machining.